Pritzker In Quarantine Again As Staffer Positive For Coronavirus

CHICAGO, IL — Gov. J.B. Pritzker is quarantining at home for the second time after another staff member in his office tested positive for the coronavirus, the governor's office said in a release Tuesday.

The staff member was tested Wednesday during weekly testing for the governor's office and was negative. However, after experiencing symptoms, the staff member was tested once again Monday and received positive results, according to the governor's office.

"The staffer attended events with the governor on Wednesday in Chicago, Thursday in Marion and Sunday in Marseilles," the release stated. "Both the governor and the staffer were wearing masks during the entirety of their interactions."

The staffer has been interviewed, and a contact tracing effort is underway to ensure all close contacts are notified, the governor's office said. Event organizers at each impacted event have also been contacted and made aware of the staff member's positive results as well as appropriate next steps.

In accordance with state and federal guidelines, the governor and all close contacts will self-isolate for 14 days, Pritzker's office said. In addition, all staff who currently report to the office are being tested and must test negative before reporting back to the office.

All samples that were tested for COVID-19 on Monday came back negative. According to the governor's office, staff members reporting to the office have followed all public health safety protocols, including weekly testing, daily temperature checks, wearing face coverings, social distancing and strict hygiene procedures. The office undergoes a weekly deep cleaning, and an additional deep cleaning was conducted Monday night.

Pritzker was in isolation for the first time in May when a member of his senior staff tested positive for the coronavirus. He will continue to hold his Monday coronavirus news conferences via video, which are live-streamed at illinois.gov/LiveVideo as well as on Facebook and Twitter.